BY NANCY cotten HIRST
DBJ Contributing Editor

In this time of such grief and horror over the terrorist tragedy and the time of such elation and pride over the spirit of the American people, there are a thousand columns begging to be written. I am afraid, however, that once the flush of anger has worn off that Americans will fail in the courage to continue to fight terrorism until the world is really safe from this scourge, so I’ve chosen to address that issue.
The peaceniks are already pontificating on all the talk shows. So are the “intelligensia” telling us that we shouldn’t bother these countries because our foreign policies have brought all this upon us. Balderdash. Osama Ben Laden is not the only madman out there who won’t be satisfied until the entire world is oppressed by their form of repressive, murderous theocracy. Many of them have says this in public interviews that somehow only find their way into the media at 3:00 a.m.
We are now fighting not just for the personal safety of our children and grandchildren, but for the survival of democracy and freedom throughout the world. It is imperative that we continue this fight until there is no longer a place for these people to find shelter.
It is unfortunate that we rarely ever sing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” or “The Star Spangled Banner” anymore, but even when we did, very few people knew more than the first verse. I’m going to quote for you the third verse of the National Anthem and the third verse of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” because the authors of these glorious lyrics knew what it meant to have to fight for and preserve freedom.
The answers that will stiffen our spines for the conflict and sacrifice ahead are in these verses. First, the National Anthem:
“O thus be it ever when free men shall stand
Between their lov’d homes and grim wars’ desolation!
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust!’
And The Star-spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!”
The key phrase here is “when our cause it is just.” There can be no cause more just than protecting our innocents from terror, more just than defending our democratice government from unprovoked attack. These madmen did not just attack innocent people, they struck a very serious blow at our very government, at our very economic system, at our way of life. And they will continue as long as they are able.
Now for Julia Ward Howe’s inspired third verse from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”:
“I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal,
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.”
Now, admittedly, Mrs. Howe was a Christian woman, and the terminology is therefore Christian, but the words have new meaning today. We have all seen the fiery gospel writ in rows of steel burnished by 2000-degree heat. This is a message from contemnors of any and every God that man may look to, and the serpent is a symbol of evil in every culture. Many of our heroes were crushed on September 11. Let our remaining heroes crush the serpent completely. Let “our alabaster cities gleam” once again, “undimmed by human tears.” For our children. For our grandchildren. For democracy and liberty. DBJ